Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Hard Candy

Here I have Hard Candy Blue Lagoon topped with Hard Candy Pop-arrazi. I love blue lagoon, it is a gorgeous, bright cobalt-ish blue with an almost jelly like finish. This is two coats. It dries smooth and quickly with no hiccups. Pop-arrazi is a great glitter topper. It reminds me of cutting up comic strips in newspapers. The shades of blue, black, yellow, red, and white really pop against blue lagoon.

Here's just a quick and dirty swatch. I'll be thrifting for a camera here shortly. I sold mine last year for a 6 person tent, lol.


Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Flashback Post

I was browsing amazon (my favorite site for everything!) and I was in the process of purchasing my favorite Bath and Body Works scent: Juniper Breeze. I have worn Juniper Breeze since  I was 8 years old. I used to steal country apple from my mother and she bought me my own Juniper Breeze. I've been in scent love ever since.

Anyhow - for some reason these juicy tubes by Lancome popped into my head and I had to search for them. I distinctly remember this gorgeous hot pink shade that screamed poolside-summer. My mom was always at the make up counter looking for something reasonable with our meager military income. I always escaped to the Lancome counter and applied a juicy tube shade - every 12 year old needed the perfect pout, duh.

Naturally, I went online and purchased one and am eagerly awaiting its arrival! Do you have any favorite throwback scents or make up that you purchase from amazon or ebay?


Weight Loss Journey: Update

Awhile back I posted at the mid-point of my weight loss journey. You can read that here. I realized just now I never updated anyone.

So I continued on my exercise path. I ran twice a day, every other day. Sit ups, push ups, a lot of training where I used my own body weight as resistance. I started at almost 240lbs. I ended at 158lbs. I could fit into a size 8 jeans which never happened a day in my life.

Then I got pregnant. Womp womp. LOL. Anyway - I'm still trying to exercise even when I'm too tired to do it. I'm not entirely successful with that yet. But, I haven't gained a terrible amount of weight, I can still wear my jeans they just won't button..and to be honest, that's a feat in itself because my other pregnancies I had to retire my jeans early because I couldn't even pull them up over my thighs!

Anyway, just thought I would update :) If you're struggling with your weight loss or just need some inspiration, if my lazy butt did it, yours can as well!

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Zoya Spring 2015 Preview!



New 2015 Spring Collection Announcement: Zoya 


MEDIA INFORMATION:

ZOYA DELIGHT
Get ready for mouth-watering spring delights from Zoya! Inspired by the soft and airy colors of the season, Zoya Delight serves up three cheerful creams and three turquoise flash metallics for an updated, flirty way to wear pastels! All in the full-coverage, long-wearing, Big5Free* formula Zoya Nail Polish is famous for.

·            ZP772/Rayne: Dewy, spring blue with an energizing turquoise metallic flash.
·        ZP773/Lillian: Faded aquamarine with a glossy cream finish.
·            ZP774/Tiana: Palette-cleansing ‘pistachio gelato’ green in a glossy cream finish.
·        ZP775/Daisy: Refreshing ‘lemon merengue’ yellow with a turquoise metallic flash.
·            ZP776/Leslie: Soft spring lavender with a turquoise metallic flash.
·        ZP777/Eden: Classic spring flower pink in a glossy cream finish.
**BIG5FREE: Zoya Professional Nail Lacquer formula contains no formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate, toluene or camphor.
AVAILABLE 02/02/15!

ZOYA IS THE HEALTHY COLOR OF FASHION!
$(US)
Available in top salons, spas and on zoya.com

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Vamped Up

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I usually shy away from lipstick because I personally feel (my own insecurities) that I cannot pull the look off. I did come to the realization that I prefer matte shades over a glossier lipstick. This is Wet n Wild "'cherry bomb". I bought it on sale at Walgreen's for 99 cents (a steal) and decided to try it out. I've always been a fan of a vampy lip.

I started by applying a concealer to my lips for a base, and then lined and filled in my lips with a lip liner one shade darker than my lip color. I then applied the lipstick with my finger, pressing down like it was a stain. I applied one coat of a pressed foundation powder to my lips, and one more coat of lipstick. That is the best way I've found lipstick, especially of the more inexpensive variety, to have significantly more lasting power.

On my face, I am wearing revlon nearly naked, and benefit sugar bomb blush. I used the too faced chocolate bar on my eyes and finished with an essence mascara!


Saturday, January 17, 2015

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls + Cream Cheese Frosting

I have been in a ferocious baking mood lately and decided to try homemade cinnamon rolls. I attempted these once before, but instead of working with the dough myself I used a bread machine. This time around, I omitted the bread machine and went for good ole fashioned manual labor.



Recipe:

Cinnamon Roll Dough

4 cups all purpose flour
½ cup + 2 tablespoons warm water (115 degrees)
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast
4 tablespoons melted butter + 2 tablespoons
Cinnamon to your personal tastes
3/4 cup of brown sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting


8 oz of cream cheese
1/2 a 2lb bag of powdered sugar
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 tsp of vanilla

Instructions

In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons of warm water, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and the yeast in a small bowl. Set aside until the yeast doubles in size.  In a large bowl sift your flour and salt, then add your egg, milk, water, and 2 tablespoons of butter. Add your yeast and knead the dough for no more than five minutes. Spread a thin layer of oil on the top of the dough and cover with a damp kitchen towel for 20 minutes to rise.

After your dough has risen, roll the dough into a large rectangle. Spread your melted butter on the dough (if you need more, go for more! It'll just be messy) and evenly spread your cinnamon, sugar, and brown sugar all over. Roll into a log and cut into 12-14 1 inch slices. Place the slices of cinnamon rolls in a greased 9 x 13 pan (I like to sprinkle butter and brown sugar at the bottom of mine for an under layer of gooeyness) and let them rise again until they've doubled in size, or about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges. Let them cool for 15 minutes then generously frost and enjoy!


What I learned....

They turned out delicious and I learned a few things in the process:

Make sure your water is the proper temperature when dissolving the yeast. If it's not warm enough, the yeast will not activate and you need it to at least double in size or your cinnamon rolls themselves will not rise like they should.

It helps to have all of your ingredients room temperature. When you shock your yeast mixture with cold milk, cold water, et cetera, it stops the yeast from doing its job. Pull your eggs, milk, and butter out shortly before you start your cinnamon rolls.

Do not overknead your dough. Five minutes should be enough. If you overknead the dough the end result will be tough cinnamon rolls instead of fluffy!

Don't skimp on your innards! Make sure you have plenty of cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter to rub on the inside of your cinnamon rolls. It's the best part!

Use floss to cut your cinnamon rolls - not a knife. Dental floss (or fishing line) provides a nice, clean cut and will not squish your cinnamon rolls.

A post from beyonnnd..

Kidding. I have been absent for quite some time so I thought I would give an update and let you all know how things are going!

I moved cross-country a month ago. I am pregnant with a third child and am still going strong in school - except my degree has changed to a bachelor's of science in aeronautics. I'm still outrageously obsessed with make up and have quite a few things I'm excited to share with you guys! I'm still coveting a naked palette (yeah, still).

Other than that, life has been really smooth. I just recently ended a very arduous holiday break from school and decided to fire this baby back up and get back in the swing of things.

Have a great day

xo

Jessica